In the State of the Art, there are hybrid home networks composed of a backbone in wired technology such as PowerLine Communication (also known as “PLC”), Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) or Ethernet cabling, on which a number of wireless access points are plugged. The home is therefore covered by an aggregation of small wireless clusters generated by said access points. Any wireless client device, mobile or stationary, hereinafter called “node” located inside said wireless cluster is then able to communicate with the access point which generates it. A node is adapted for sending wireless signals to access points and also to receive wireless signals from access points.
Inside the house perimeter, it is convenient to have a complete wireless coverage inside which a node can communicate to at least one access point. The term “coverage” of an access point AP1 should be understood in conjunction with the physical receiving modes HBR, LBR of said access point AP1 which is representative of a type of modulation used to send and receive the wireless signal. These modulations are more or less robust in function of environment perturbations and more or less efficient in terms of achieved bitrates. Each type of modulation is characterized by a signal to noise ratio level below which the modulation achieves a certain bitrate. Then, the coverage domain corresponding with said receiving modes HBR is usually determined by the locations from which a signal sent by a node is greater than a first level L1, and the coverage domain corresponding with respectively said receiving modes HBR is determined by the locations from which a signal sent by a node is greater than a second level L2 at AP1. For example, the high bitrate is equal to 100 Mbit/s, the low bitrate is equal to 10 Mbit/s and the first level L1 is greater than the second level L2.
As illustrated in FIG. 1a, a hatched zone corresponds to locations from which any node can emit a wireless signal producing at said access point AP1 a Received Signal Strength Indicator (also known as “RSSI”) which is greater than the first level L1 and vice-versa the node can receive a wireless signal from the access point AP1 which is greater than its first level L1. On the same figure, the pale grey zone, which naturally comprises the hatched zone; corresponds to locations from where any node can emit a wireless signal producing at said access point AP1 a RSSI greater than the second level L2 and vice-versa.
Usually, the signal power also named later as “signal level” emitted by a node or an access point is constant. A more general case in hybrid network would happen when the emitted signal power varies with time, but in such case it is then assumed that the receiving side (node or access point) is able to determine the power of emitted signal used. As a result, in all case, the receiving side is able to evaluate the link budget from the emitting side, derived from the RSSI plus a correction value. In the following, the RSSI measurement will be considered as an equivalent for an evaluation by the receiving side of the budget of the link emitted side to receiving side.
Typically, the bitrate between said access point AP1 and the (emitting) node is greater than 10 Mbits/s when the latter is located in the pale grey zone and greater than 100 Mbits/s when the latter is located in the hatched zone with a technology such as based on IEEE802.11n. It is easily understood that the high bit rate coverage domain is usually centred on the access point location and is included within a low bit rate coverage domain.
It is a reasonable assumption that if two access points AP1, AP2 are located within their mutual low bit rate coverage domain, their high bit rate coverage are contiguous, as illustrated in FIG. 1b. 
In addition, the way the two access points see each other is about the same. The access point AP1 sees the access points AP2 the same way as the access point AP2 sees the access point AP1 when no sophisticated antenna steering or beamforming or separate Tx Rx antenna system is implemented. It is a reasonable assumption that hybrid networks comprise access points having simple antenna system for practical implementation reasons.
Today it is rare to find a hybrid network having a full coverage of the home because it is difficult for an end-user to deploy alone access points in the home for covering the home with such a network and for an access provider to help remotely said end-user in its access points deployment.
One of the goals of the present invention is to propose a method for evaluating an arrangement of access points in a hybrid network whose high bitrate coverage domain of the wireless network covers the home. Said method could contribute for example to assist an end-user to optimize easily the choice of the location of access points in such a way it cooperates efficiently with other access points plugged in the hybrid network. As a target, the end-user wishes to get an arrangement of access points such that the high bitrate coverage domain covers the whole home by using a minimum number of access points.
This assistance could be direct: by providing from a station also plugged on the wired backbone to the end-user simple information on the merits of the present locations of the access points. This assistance could be also indirect: by providing more accurate information on the merits of the present locations of the access points to an external access provider for allowing him to realize a remote diagnosis and to assist remotely said end-user.
This method is advantageous during an initial deployment of a hybrid network, when an end-user is in charge of choosing location of access points in a Home or in case of internal changes (building or removal of wall) in the home after an initial deployment.